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January 04, 2022
Amidst a Record Supply Chain Crisis, What is the Federal Maritime Commission’s Capacity?
One tiny federal agency with 116 full-time employees and a $28.9 million dollar budget is in charge of regulating the global marine economy, which contributes $397 billion to the US GDP annually and accounts for 80 percent of goods shipped worldwide. That’s not just an apples and oranges discrepancy—that’s like an apple versus Apple. The budget for the military’s marching bands is fifteen times greater than the Federal Maritime Commission’s budget; the Marines alone have five times more musicians than the Commission has staff.
January 04, 2022 | The New Republic
One Unexpected Way for Biden to Help the Climate and Rural America at the Same Time
The president has the power to reform the wayward Tennessee Valley Authority. It’s a bigger deal than you think.
December 22, 2021
Blog Post Corporate CrackdownEducationEthics in GovernmentExecutive BranchIndependent AgenciesRevolving Door
The Administration’s Actions on Federal Student Aid Deserve Sustained Scrutiny
Biden made big promises to American college students and graduates in his presidential campaign, just to walk them back when he became president.
December 16, 2021
Watchdog Requests Secretary of Commerce Raimondo Release Records of Meetings with Big Business
Now more than ever, with rumors swirling that Raimondo is considering a bid for the White House in 2024, it is critical to see exactly which corporations and lobbyists Raimondo has met with in recent months.
December 14, 2021
Biden Gets Why Meat Prices Are So High. Why Isn't He Going On Offense About It?
Being correct, it turns out, isn’t enough. A dry blog post full of economic statistics and analysis simply isn’t how best to message the President’s position to the public.
December 10, 2021
Beyond HUD And FHFA: The Federal Government's Other Housing Agencies
Many executive branch departments and agencies — including FEMA, USDA, and the VA — administer lesser-known federal housing programs.
December 10, 2021
The "Coup" At The FDIC Is Jelena McWilliams Overturning Majority And Congressional Will
McWilliams is effectively saying that any outcome which she doesn’t like must be illegitimate, because she’s the Chair.
December 08, 2021 | Talking Points Memo
Op-Ed 2020 Election/TransitionCriminal JusticeDepartment of JusticeEthics in GovernmentExecutive Branch
The Bureau Of Prisons Needs New Leadership, Now
Progressives, prison workers and prisoners are in agreement: the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Michael Carvajal, should be fired. The Bureau of Prisons is in a crisis several layers deep, and new leadership will be key to its reformation.
November 30, 2021
Fossil Fuel Loyalist Mitch Landrieu Is Biden's Pick To Manage $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill
President Biden signed the elusive bipartisan infrastructure bill into law on November 15th. It’s just the first part of a planned two-part infrastructure push, the other being the Democrat-only Build Back Better Act which Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have slashed to pieces. Yet Biden keeps calling the bipartisan bill he signed a climate bill.
November 23, 2021
Press Release Corporate CrackdownDepartment of JusticeEthics in GovernmentExecutive BranchIndependent Agencies
Polling Finds Enormous Bipartisan Support For Crackdown On Corporate Lawbreaking
70 percent of Republicans, 70 percent of Independents, and 70 percent of Democrats surveyed believe the Biden administration should do more to hold lawbreaking corporations accountable.
November 20, 2021
Attention Democrats: Make Corporations Your Enemies
Actual politics requires taking action against actual villains to solve problems, not the shrugging and cowering which elites persuade themselves is ‘savvy.’
November 18, 2021 | The American Prospect
How Biden Can Protect Students From Predatory For-Profit Colleges
The Biden administration inherited a morass of understaffed and undermined federal agencies, weakened by the Trump administration. It makes sense that building back the government’s capacity would be an uphill battle for the Biden administration, with so many years of policymaking undermined by his predecessor. What doesn’t make sense is the jarring number of cases in which the administration is going out of its way, at considerable cost, to uphold Trump-era policies that go against Biden’s stated agenda and the public interest.
November 17, 2021
Newsletter Climate and EnvironmentDepartment of JusticeExecutive BranchFederal ReserveIndependent AgenciesTreasury Department
After Infrastructure Week
Congressional selfies and self-congratulations inaugurated the week, but a lot of hard work remains to translate the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s (IIJA) policies into real-life results. Given that those policies are (generously) middling and that the most promising ones are underfunded, turning these into winning programs will demand energy, creativity, competence, and a strong commitment to the public interest.
November 09, 2021
Brad Crabtree And The Dangerous Love Story Of Oil Production And Carbon Capture
The process of enhanced oil recovery that Crabtree champions is dangerous. Aside from the considerable economic and scientific barriers to scale, discussed below, the model of the CCT Crabtree supports rests on an unethical premise: that decarbonization should be profitable for Big Oil.
November 04, 2021
When Republican Votes Advance Biden's Nominations
Rahm Emanuel’s nomination is not the first time a Biden pick advanced despite Democratic opposition.